Blues defenseman gave St. Louis 2-1 lead in first period in 37th NHL game
Finally, Matthew Kessel can shed the monkey off his back.
The St. Louis Blues defenseman needed 37 NHL games to do so, but he finally has his first NHL goal when he scored in the first period on Sunday against the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center.
Kessel gave the Blues a 2-1 lead at 12:36 when he took a Robert Thomas pass coming into the zone and wired a wrister from the right circle past Lukas Dostal.
Kessel, who was playing in his 35th game this season after playing his first two NHL games last season, had four assists before finally potting that first goal; he had scored seven goals in two-plus seasons with the Springfield Thunderbirds before finally scoring in the NHL.
